Abstract : The purpose of this study was to examine the variability in cortical activation during physical air-rifle shooting and three
different observation conditions. Elite air-rifle shooters performed a 40 shot individual match. Electroencephalograms were
recorded from 11 active sites across the cortex during the final 6 s (362 s epochs) before shot release. Data collection was
repeated while shooters watched a large-screen video of their worst shot performance from an internal-visual perspective
when seated, standing and standing holding their rifle. The hypothesized differences between the three observation
conditions and the physical shooting profile were not shown except at the left anterior temporal site, T5. This finding
suggests that observation of performance cannot be differentiated clearly by posture or modified through kinetic and haptic
afference, and that visual percepts predominate in observational functional equivalence. However, more functionally
equivalent observation reduced the observation/execution variability over the temporal areas. Performer debriefs also
identified different perceptions of physiological, psychological and behavioural functional equivalence associated with the
different observation conditions. We conclude that elite performers’ brains are accessed equally effectively during different
observation conditions irrespective of some of the physical factors ascribed to the conditions. However, they may require
more functionally matched conditions to attain greater equivalence in temporal areas.